Results 1,221-1,240 of 14,706 for speaker:Phil Hogan

Other Questions: Irish Water Staff (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I assure Deputy Clare Daly that local authority workers are not standing around doing nothing. The Government decided in December 2011, based on the recommendations of the independent assessment, to establish a public water utility company to take over the operational and capital delivery functions of local authorities in the water services area. The Government also decided the question of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Establishment (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I am not surprised that Deputy Higgins disagrees with the manner in which we are setting up a semi-state company to deliver, efficiently and effectively, a service that is not being delivered effectively and efficiently through 34 local authorities. We are spending €1.2 billion of taxpayer's money - or working people's money, as Deputy Higgins would have it - to deliver this essential...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Establishment (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: Water charges will be decided by the Government and Irish Water when it makes its submission to the Commission on Energy Regulation. The regulator will ultimately decide on what the level of water charges will be. The Deputy must have patience and he will get-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Establishment (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: There was a commitment in the memorandum of understanding that we would introduce a property tax and water charges in 2013. We have the property tax but will not have water charges until 2015. The Deputy needs to get his history correct. I wish to thank the staff of local authorities who are in difficulty at the moment trying to manage supplies along the coastline of our country....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The European Commission will co-finance the programme up to 80%. If Ireland avails of this rate, the value of the Leader programme will be €191 million. However, if the Leader elements are co-financed in the same way as other elements of the programme, at a ratio of 54%:46%, that would mean a greater amount of money available to Leader, up to €283 million.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Establishment (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: Following the decision by the Government in December 2011 to establish Irish Water, on the basis of an independent assessment conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, my Department launched a public consultation process to inform development of the implementation strategy on the reform programme. Almost 300 submissions were received, including a submission from the ESRI. All of these were taken...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: As the Deputy knows, Ireland has received an allocation from the EU of €2.1 billion for the rural development programme for 2014 to 2020. The EU regulations provide for a 5% minimum allocation for Leader. The Government has decided to increase this to 7% and I welcome this. Therefore, €153 million in EU funding will be available for Leader and this will be co-financed by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The agricultural elements of the programme are very different from the Leader elements. That programme will commence spending this year with the agri-environment options scheme and support for disadvantaged areas, which I am sure the Deputy welcomes. In our case, spend on the current Leader programme will continue into 2015, and as the Deputy noted, the programme spend is not expected to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I have already indicated that 5% was the minimum requirement and under the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, 7% is available for funding under the rural development programme. That is €153 million out of the Leader element of the rural development programme. We must negotiate now on a co-funding basis with the Department of Public...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: I am not going to speak about a particular company or project. I am not aware of the details involved.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: Yes. The SEA directive which has been transposed into Irish law establishes a process to consider all matters relating to the environment. The expert panel will review all of the processes to see if they are required. It will not be within the sole remit of EirGrid to decide that issue. Some 35,000 submissions were made on these matters. The Government is entitled to examine public...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: What is happening on 23 June?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Deputy is correct on one of the options he mentioned; the expert panel will consider the matter concerning the North-South interconnector and come to its view in the next couple of weeks. As regards the terms of reference of the study which applies to my Department, they are set out on the basis of identifying and examining all relevant peer-reviewed scientific literature, including the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: As the Deputy will be aware, we are conscious of the importance of full transparency in these matters, particularly when it comes to funding Irish Water, directly or indirectly. As we promised at the Oireachtas joint committee, we are setting up an office in Irish Water to ensure there will be parliamentary accountability. I hope that work will be completed shortly. Any additional...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: We are conscious of the need to ensure there would be a direct response to Members of this House on money, by loan or otherwise, for the operational or business costs associated with Irish Water. That will be the case and I will certainly see to it that it is carried out.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The strategic environmental assessment, SEA, directive, 2001/42/EC, which has been transposed into Irish law, establishes the process by which environmental considerations are required to be fully integrated into the preparation of plans and programmes prior to their final adoption. It is the responsibility of the competent authority in the relevant sector, in this case EirGrid, to determine...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Irish Water Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: No Exchequer funding was provided to Bord Gáis or Irish Water in 2012 or 2013 for the establishment costs of Irish Water. In 2014 Irish Water, which now has statutory responsibility for water services, will receive €240 million in equity from the Minister for Finance and €490 million from the Local Government Fund but no other funding from the Department’s Vote for...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges Administration (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: The Programme for Government sets out a commitment for the introduction of water charges based on usage above a free allowance, on the basis that this is the fairest way to charge for water. Irish Water is implementing the national domestic water metering programme for households connected to public water supplies.  As the metering programme will still be under way when charges are...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Irish Water Staff (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: A fundamental underpinning of the water reform programme is to ensure that the skills and experience built up over many years in local authorities are put to best use for the long-term benefit of the customer and that there is no negative impact on service to customers during the transition. Irish Water is currently recruiting to build up the internal capabilities required within the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Services Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Phil Hogan: My Department has no responsibility for, or role to play in, the management, maintenance or operation of water infrastructure. Since 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has profiled public water supplies to determine whether the supply needs to be replaced or upgraded, or operational practices improved to ensure that there are no risks to the supply of drinking water. Supplies...